


When in Gerudo Town...

by Onlymostydead



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Crossdressing, Drunken Confessions, M/M, Past Near Death Experience, Pining, Trans Link, Trans Male Character, Underage Drinking, Vomit, bed sharing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-29
Updated: 2019-05-03
Packaged: 2020-02-09 23:22:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,018
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18648205
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Onlymostydead/pseuds/Onlymostydead
Summary: Revali is tired. Tired of being around the infuriating, handsome Link all the time. Tired of the other champions shenanigans. And tired of the clothes they have to wear in order to sneak into Gerudo Town.Link is anxious about this whole trip, especially with traveling to other champion's hometowns. But even more so when Revali decides to drink more than a couple Noble Pursuits too many.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally supposed to be a request from Sphye, but I went back and realized the original scene happened in Rito Village, and it wasn't like this, so... Still dedicated to you?
> 
> Also, side note: I do not condone underage or binge drinking! Stay safe, guys.

(Revali)

Sneaking into Gerudo Town was not a good idea. All of the champions knew that, probably, but did that stop them? Of course not.

Though, Urbosa as their chief was the final say in the matter... and it was surprisingly something she was all for. Revali supposed the Gerudo had been at peace for a while now; and only in times of great fear or war did they actually enforce the 'no voe' rule. Though, to be proper about it...

"I hate this." He griped, picking at the sheer material that barely covered his chest. "It's humiliating."

"Why? Can't stand to look like a vai?" Urbosa didn't even spare a glance backwards as she walked, leading the group toward the city.

"No." Revali rolled his eyes, crossing his wings over himself. "It's because I'm practically naked."

"I mean, I'm always practically naked." Daruk pointed out with a shrug. "No complaints here."

"You yourself said it: you're always practically naked!"

"Keep it down, you two." Urbosa shook her head, her long ponytail swaying back and forth. "We're almost here."

"You said that dressing like this is just a formality, after all." Revali said, too quiet for Urbosa to hear. "I simply fail to see the point."

"The point is being respectful." Link signed, a bored look on his face. "And your skirt's ridden up."

Puffing up in embarrassment, he tugged his skirt down. Why was it always Link who had to see things like that? It wasn't fair; surely the goddess hated him. One of these days he would just die of embarrassment.

But Gerudo Town was in reach, which was a relief. According to Urbosa's explanation back at the Kara Kara Bazaar's inn, the temperature around the city was cooler than the rest of the country because of the oasis it was built around. Revali's feathers were doing only a little bit of good, a slight insulation from the heat, but his dark blue plumage was certainly drawing in the heat.  
Not as bad as Mipha, though. She was downing bottle after bottle of chilly elixirs, another one every few minutes. Just watching her drink like that was making him very, very thirsty.

"Are we almost-"

"We're almost there." Zelda cut him off. "You can see the walls, right there."

"Well, I know that." Revali scoffed, attempting to salvage his dignity. "Are we going to have to wait long?"

"Not at all. The guards see us now, and I don't see anyone else."

The process of getting in was a short one, despite what Revali had been told about the Gerudo's strict practice of admitting only women, or vai, to the city. Basically all they had to do was walk through the door, past two very tall Gerudo women with very large spears. He supposed that their intimidating stares generally kept out those they wanted to keep away. 

He wouldn't have been intimidated though, of course. Of course.

But once they were in the city, it seemed that all ease abandoned them. Guards and civilians, adults and children and the elderly, all flocked to Urbosa the moment she stepped through the gates. She was, after all, their beloved chief. It took a good long time of her greeting her people, asking about toothaches and poorly growing crops and future weddings, for them to finally get far enough in the city to find an inn. 

The innkeeper, a lovely vai by the name of Krina, insisted that their rooms be complementary, but Urbosa paid her for them anyway. She blushed, raising her soft shoulders as if she could hide her face that way, then offered graciously to show them to their rooms. Following behind her, listening to the chipper tone of her voice, walking through the cool stone of the rooms... Revali was struck by how nice it could actually be here, for once. Getting out of the crowd and the heat had definitely helped that part.

"And I know that you know, Chief Urbosa, but if any of the rest of you need a drink, or a simple meal, The Noble Canteen is the best place to go."

"Noble Canteen?" Mipha double checked.

Krina nodded. "That's right; get yourself a Noble Pursuit while you're here, they're the best. Here's the first room."

The room was nice, made of the same stone as the rest of the inn but blanketed in bright, woven rugs. Two large beds were worn in on either side, and a large, empty basin was built into the wall on the right.  
They quickly decided that would be Revali and Link's room, much to his annoyance. Sharing a room with Link was agonizing; having him be right there all the time... Nothing could be worse. Just being around him on long trips was bad enough. And when they had purchased these clothes at the Kara Kara Bazaar...

Link had never been shy, sure, but Revali certainly hadn't expected him to just strip down to change so quickly. And there was something about...

He glanced over at Link, watching him unpack what he had brought with him, and just allowed himself to stare. The thin, sheer fabric of his top did nothing to hide his breasts, the scars that ran across his skin in some places, starting on the pale skin of his stomach and running barely interrupted into the top. Gold accessories practically dripped off of him, holding fabric, belting low over his hips... Even the veil over his face, though it really hid nothing, gave an element of mystery that Revali found all too intoxicating.

"It's too damn hot here." He complained, tossing his own pack onto his bed with little grace. "I say we get to that bar as soon as possible."

Link nodded, and for once they were in agreement about something. They got ready as quickly as they could, Revali struggling to redo his braids.

"Come on, let's go." Link signed at him, difficult to read in the reflection of the mirror.

Revali scowled. "I'm not used to braiding it like this."

Especially not in front of Link. He may have no shame about changing in front of him, but Revali couldn't even braid his hair in his general vicinity.

"You're used to doing four smaller braids down your back. Why can't you do two in loops by the sides of your head?"

"Because," He clenched his beak. "It's harder than it looks."

And the way Link's pretty blue eyes watch, seeing the movement of his hands and imagining those hands in his hair...

"Do you want me to help?"

Revali bristled, his feathers standing straight up. "Absolutely not! Do you even-"

Link gave him a puzzled look, immediately stiffening.

"You have no idea what you've just asked, do you?"

He shook his head.

Sighing, Revali began to undo his braid for the fifth time. "Rito only touch the hair of those they are very close with; it's almost completely isolated to direct family, and... Lovers."

Link turned bright red. "Never mind, then."

Despite the fact that was the appropriate response, he couldn't help but be a little disappointed. "Good. I'll try to get this presentable, then."

"And I... I'm going to go see how Mipha's doing with the heat."

Revali's heart sank. "Alright then. Leave without me if you want, I could find my way."

"Urbosa wants us to stay together." Link pointed out. "It's easy to get lost here."

"I'd be fine."

"Well, just come to the other room when you're done, okay?" 

"Alright, fine." Revali rolled his eyes. "No need to tell me twice."

So Link left, and Revali kept struggling with his hair.

***

Sure enough, when he finished, the others were all waiting for him in the other room. The braids weren't very good, and the ribbon work was awful, but it was good enough. A Rito woman would scoff at him, calling out his illusion immediately, but no one else would be concerned with it.

"Wow, took you long enough." Daruk grinned, hauling himself up to his feet. "Are we off to get drinks, or what?"

Everyone else stood up at various speeds, still dragging out the ends of conversations. Urbosa was telling Mipha something about the Gerudo preparation of meats for preserving them, something to do with rock salt and Goron spice. Zelda told Daruk that he just had to be lying about eating rubies, but he kept insisting that was a thing.  
Somehow, like they always seemed to, Link ended up falling into step with Revali behind everyone else. He was refastening his veil, or at least trying to, unsuccessfully. Eventually, he just tied the cord.

Revali snorted. "Here, allow me."

Carefully, he undid the knot, and started to carefully reattach the veil how it had been before. The lock was easier to do when it wasn't, you know, on a person, but he made do. 

The position, having his hands on the back of Links head, the careful twisting... Everything about this evoked the idea of doing Link's hair in Revali's head. Putting that thought aside, and trying to keep from fumbling the cords at that very thought, Revali kept working at it.

Finally, the ends fell into place. "There you are."

Almost reluctantly, he pulled his hands away. Fixing the veil had placed the two of them far behind the others, who had almost disappeared. If it weren't for Daruk's size, they never would have found their way. But, being back this far made Revali feel almost like he was alone with Link. Something about the crowd made it not feel like such a public place, even though that made no sense. The amount of people present assured him that everyone was just doing their own thing; as long as he didn't create a spectacle, no one was watching. They were all just strangers.

But still, to be alone with Link...

"Come on." Revali grumbled, speeding up. "Let's catch up to the others."

They shouldered through the crowd together, each making sure they didn't lose the other. It was hard for Revali especially because Link was so short; everyone around was taller than him too, but not by so much. Link only came up to the waist of some Gerudo they went past.  
But once they were out of the crowd, there it was. What has their hostess told them it was called, again? The Noble Canteen? Something like that, anyway. It was obvious which bar it was not only by Daruk standing at the window inside, waving for them to come in, but also the atmosphere. A certain energy seemed to hang in the air, music playing, the sounds of people celebrating. 

Revali stood back for a moment, though. What was he going to do once he was in? He needed a plan... But of course Link was signing at him to hurry up, do he gave in and followed. To hell with planning, apparently.   
Tonight, he was getting drunk. What else to do in Gerudo Town?

***

(Link)

Link was uncomfortable the moment he entered the bar. He wasn't of a legal drinking age in Hyrule, and he certainly wasn't in Gerudo Town either, but the bartender didn't seem to mind. She was a gorgeous woman with a wide nose and short twists of pink hair, a smile always on her lips and drinks always in her hands. She said her name, but Link hadn't quite caught it over the noise, and he didn't feel like trying extra hard to communicate.   
One would think that being mute in a loud setting would be easy, since he could communicate non-verbally, but usually it just made things harder. People weren't paying as much attention to him. And that was ignoring the trapped, anxious feeling the crowd and the noise gave him. All in all, he wanted to run from the moment he stepped foot in the bar.

Revali, on the other hand, seemed to come into his element.

The Gerudo clothing that had seemed so stiff and awkward on him softened with his shoulders, his hips swaying as he stepped up to the bar. Link had, of course, noticed his body before. It was infuriating how much time they spent with each other, so he tried not to, but it still happened like that. His eyes naturally fell to the curve of his waist, the width of his hips, the idea of how his smooth feathers would feel under his hands, running over that figure...

Link was beginning to believe he needed a drink too, if only to deal with his thoughts about Revali. Wisps of his hair had fallen out of those intricate braids and onto his neck...  
By the time he actually stepped up to get a drink, Noble Pursuit just like Krina recommended, Revali was already well into drinking. He casually chatted with a couple of Gerudo women, all very surface level. Shallow, small talk. Still, it made him jealous to see that attention towards someone else.

Shaking his head, Link ignored those feelings. A lot of good it would do him to be jealous - not. If he could just keep his thoughts to himself it would help a lot...

But now Revali was downing the last of his drink, dragging one of the girls out onto the dance floor. She towered over him, but as they danced they almost seemed to turn into one and the same. Their bodies moving like that, sweating, pulsing, writhing in the desert heat... Link licked his lips, then took another sip of his drink. He was not going to cut in, or join in any way, really. He was fine right here.

Mipha met his eyes from across the room, shrugging innocently. He shrugged back, trying to convey a 'I don't know' type of message. She seemed to get it, smiling awkwardly.

Of course she did, because she was the only person in the world who knew just how in love with Revali Link was. Mipha probably suspected long before he told her for real, since she had known him for basically forever, but...

The song ended, and Revali swayed back up to the bar for another drink. His chest rose and fell with each panting breath, eyes only half-lidded. Link swore that this handsome man would be the death of him, one day. Watching him tip back his head and swallow another drink like that was, well...

Before long he was back out on the dance floor, touching himself, other people - all appropriate, but definitely risqué. The girl he was mainly dancing with laughed, tossing back her head of red curls and playing along. 

This was going to be a long night, Link thought to himself as he sipped at his own drink, watching the way the dim lantern light glinted on his dark feathers. Song after song he danced and danced, loosening up more and impossibly more. And with each drink, well...

It wasn't long after that Revali was a complete, undignified, drunken mess. 

One of his braids had come partially unwound, hanging down onto his shoulder. He stumbled even though the floor was perfectly even, talons clacking against the stone.   
Despite this, none of his spirit seemed to be gone. Laughing loudly, he had succeeded at dragging a few previously hesitant people out to dance. Link hoped that he was invisible to him, tucked up against the bar, still sipping at the same drink he started with. All he wanted to do was watch this... And make sure his friend was okay.

Friend? When did Revali become a friend? He had always been a fellow champion, or a co-worker, or...

All of those stung, a little bit. Even friend... Especially friend. He pushed those thoughts aside, though, returning to the bar. Glancing over at the dance floor, he saw-

What was Revali doing?

He had climbed on top of Daruk, and was now standing on top of his shoulder... Only, the ceiling wasn't nearly high enough for that so it wasn't so much standing as an undignified squat. Before, Link had only been aware of someone shouting incoherently. Now if had become painfully obvious that it was, in fact, Revali.

"I can't... That floor's lava!" Revali slurred, nearly losing his balance, shuffling his feet to a better angle.

Daruk was positively howling with laughter, and Mipha wasn't much better. Revali, however, didn't seem to get what was so funny.

"I'm... Seriously, where's..." He leaned forward, teetering dangerously, spilling his drink over Daruk and himself. "Wait."

In an instant he was back down on the ground, hopping and flapping his wings in a combination he guessed Revali thought was protecting him from the lava, but really just made him look like an angry cucco. But he was coming straight towards him, and-

"Link, come on, you've gotta get to... Higher ground." Revali insisted, stroking his face and tugging at his arm. "You'll burn up!"

"I'll be fine." Link signed, desperately hoping that would be enough. 

"You're turning red!"

Bringing it up only made Link blush deeper.

"Come on, before it's-" Revali choked. "Before it's too late!"

He held back a laugh, trying not to think too hard about the urgency in Revali's eyes. Clearly, he had gotten himself to think the situation was very, very real. Swaying on his feet, the way he gripped Link's arms... The smell of sticky pink liquor spilled over his front was getting to his head.

"You'll die!" Revali wailed, wrapping Link up in a tight hug. "You'll die and I can't save you, can't save you, can't-"

It wasn't just crying now. Revali was full on sobbing. The music had stopped. Everyone was staring at this Rito vai clung to Link, wailing that 'she' couldn't save 'her.' Link knew he would be staring if he was in the crowd too, but... Actually, most of the Gerudo patrons few more amused than transfixed, as if this was just the entertainment for tonight. 

Link swallowed, taking in a deep breath and trying to pull Revali off of him. Still he clung fast, unrelenting.

"I have to get you... Safe. Somewhere..." He choked, clinging onto Link with his arms, trying to drag him back toward Daruk. "I can't..."

Then he stumbled back, vomited on the floor a couple of times, and immediately passed out. Link barely caught him, keeping him from tumbling into the puddle of vomit.

Right now, it definitely appeared to be time to get back to the inn. At least for the two of them, since Revali had vomit down the front of his clothing, and Link was going to get some on himself, too, if he helped him. How he was going to clean himself up, he didn't know, but...  
Link got Revali's arm around his shoulder, wrapping one of his own arms around his waist to support him. Stumbling slowly, they made their way outside onto the street.

He hasn't really wanted to stay, anyway. The only thing keeping him there was watching Revali.

How long it had been, Link had no idea, but the pace of Gerudo Town didn't seem to have slowed one bit. The only difference was the different colored lanterns casting dim light on the crowd of inhabitants. And the way it caught the dark blue of Revali's feathers, bring out all sorts of colors in the sheen...

But Revali was currently sick, and fairly out of it. Blackout drunk, basically. This was no time to be admiring him... Even if he was beautiful.

Thankfully, people seemed to get the idea that they needed to let them through. It wasn't far to the inn, but half-carrying a drunken Rito? Even though he was lighter than he looked, moving him around was no easy task.  
But they made it back, and Link sat Revali down on the floor so he could sign to Krina. His whole body slumped over against Link's legs, nuzzling gently into the soft, thin fabric of his pants. He blushed scarlet, hands shaking.

"Is there anywhere I can clean up?" Link asked, hoping dearly that Krina could understand what he was signing.

Thankfully, she nodded, seeing to understand. "I'm sorry, I should have explained earlier. Here, if you back to your room..."

Krina led them back, offering to help carry Revali, but Link declined. While it was annoying, it didn't seem like the right thing to do to just hand him over to someone else at the earliest convenience. That, and the fact that part of him enjoyed holding him in his arms. Bridal style, like this... It would have been romantic, if not for the vomit. That pretty much killed the moment.

"All you have to is touch this, it'll start the heating, and pull this lever-" She grunted as she yanked up the iron handle, releasing a strong flow of water. "-For water. When you're done just push in this peg here, and the water flow will stop. Is that good?"

Link nodded. "Thank you." 

"It's the least I could do; in fact, I should have done it earlier. Chief Urbosa just had me frazzled, I guess."

He smiled. "It's all good."

"Do you need any help getting him into the bath?"

Link shook his head. "I'll manage."

After making sure, once more, that there was nothing she could go for them, Krina left them alone, shutting the door behind them. 

"Mm, Link?" Revali's eyes remained closed, head just nuzzling against his arm. "Safe?"

"MmHmm." Link shifted him, undoing the clasps of his clothing.

The Gerudo clothes, for how hard they were to get on, turned out to be a breeze to take off. Link had him stripped down in no time, picking him up again to lower him into the bath.

Revali let out a deep sigh, leaning into Link's touch. "You're so... I love you."

Link's heart leapt into his throat, but Revali didn't say another word. Not while he gently washed him off, not when he dried him off, and not when he tucked him into his bed. All he did was gently nuzzle Link's arm as he fell asleep.

And Link was left alone with his thoughts as he cleaned up.

***

(Revali)

When Revali woke up, his head hurt like hell. For a second he didn't know where he was, only that his body was throbbing with pain and his guts were twisting and turning. Then it all came back to him.

Dancing. The bar. Link.

Only, he didn't remember ever getting back to the hotel. What happened? 

Link was already up, half dressed in a different set of Gerudo clothes, trying once more to fix his veil. He could never do that right. Revali smirked to himself, about to bother him about it, until a shot of pain stabbed through his head. He winced, reaching up to make sure nothing was actually injured. His hand didn't find anything; it was just a hangover.

"Oh, you're awake." Link let the veil drop to sign at him, tossing it over onto his bed. "Have fun?"

"Mm, the parts I remember. Why?"

He raised his eyebrows. "You were plastered."

"Was I really?" Revali blinked. "I didn't think I was-"

"You were."

"How plastered?"

"Drunk enough to tell me you loved me." Link signed, then went to grab to veil again.

Revali's heart stopped. Clearly, he wasn't about to say anything else, and he sure as hell wasn't either. His throat dried up, stomach lurching.

How the hell could he come back from that? 

Wait.

"Am I... Naked?"

Link turned around, this time with the veil successfully attached. "You vomited on yourself."

"Oh."

No. There was no coming back from that. There was only making it through to the next day.

And hoping Link didn't tell everyone else... Even though he was the only one who mattered. 

"Well, I'm sorry about that."

Link turned, raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.

Yeah, he was just going to die of embarrassment right here.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They move on from Getudo Town, thankfully, but it doesn't appear that Zora's Donain will much better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This wasn't supposed to be a second chapter, but I guess???

(Link)

As the Champions headed to their third location on their way around Hyrule, Link couldn't hope for a successful trip. Quite honestly, he could only hope that none of them would die. Or puke. Or drunkenly confess their love to someone who, unbeknownst to them, loves them back.

Yeah... That was awkward.

Gerudo Town had been a disaster. They left there with a bad hangover that lasted far beyond its actual symptoms; meaning that Revali seemed to have just been placed into a permanent bad mood. Every other second he seemed to be snipping at this or that, and avoiding Link at all costs. It was strange, but... After the display in Getudo Town, Revali had the right to be acting a little off. He was probably just embarrassed. He did puke all over himself, and yeah, he did tell Link that he loved him.

How embarrassing. He rolled his eyes. It made Link a little upset just to think of it like that, that Revali was just embarrassed because he had said it to him of all people. Of course, he didn't know that he felt the same way.

Clearly.

Still, that didn't give him an excuse to be a dick now.

"Come on, Daruk, what's wrong?" Revali had been teasing him like this on and off for days now, like that was the only way to take the attention off himself. "You're looking tense."

"'S nothing." Daruk answered, keeping his arms crossed tight in front of him. "Don't know what you're talking about."

And Daruk had been answering like this just as long: uptight and reserved. It was... Strange. Daruk was the fearless, life of the party kind of guy; he was never scared like this. But, apparently there were only two things that scared him, one of which they were surrounded by.

Water.

It made sense for a Goron, Link supposed. He'd be scared of drowning too, if he sunk like a stone. No pun intended. And it wasn't all water that he was petrified by; it was only stuff he couldn't stand in.

"Come on, let's take a swim!" Revali suggested in that same mocking voice. "I'm sure that'll calm us all down."

Daruk cringed. "Nope, I'm good."

"Really? It'll be so much fun, Daruk!"

"Nah, that's somethin' I can go without. I'll just watch."

"Even if the water's shallow?" 

Daruk shook his head. "None of this water's shallow enough."

"But you have no trouble with hot springs!" Revali brought up. "It's basically the same thing! We'll find some shallow enough water so you don't sink straight to the bottom and-"

"Revali," Urbosa gave him a biting look. "That's just uncalled for."

He shrugged. "I'm just trying to be considerate, I don't know what all the fuss is about."

"You know exactly what all the fuss is about." She argued. "Just leave him be."

Daruk nodded at that. "Good plan. I like that one." 

Revali rolled his eyes. "Whatever. I'm just saying, while we're all here-"

"Revali?" Mipha piped up. 

"What?"

"Shut up."

"Fine," he griped, rolling his eyes. "I guess I'll just scout ahead."

And with that he crouched down, using an updraft to sweep himself up into the air. It was beautiful and fluid and... Link would never get tired of watching him fly.

Or thinking about that quietly whispered "I love you."

Shaking his head, and trying to hide the blush across his cheeks, Link hung his head and kept moving.

***

"Look, Daruk! Everyone else is having fun..." 

Revali waved over at the pool of water where most everyone was taking a soak. Link himself was thoroughly enjoying the coolness of the water on his travel-weary body, soothing his aching feet. Daruk and Revali were the only ones still dry. The water was, really, only up to Urbosa's shoulders at the deepest part, but...

"I think I'll pass." Daruk decided, waving him off. "It's a little chilly out, anyway."

"Really?" He blinked. "But it's so hot!"

"Vali. Kiddo. Think about Goron Village."

"I've never been there." Revali declared. "And I can't imagine I'll enjoy it."

"You will, but that's an argument for another day. Though, it is so hot there your tail feathers would catch fire."

His aforementioned tail feathers flared. "Was that a threat?"

"Nope. Just pointing out that we've got different spot's we're coming from."

Link cocked his head to the side. "Wait. Revali?"

"What?"

"Why don't you get in, then?"

Immediately, his feathered puffed out, but they were quickly brought back in. "Are you joking? It takes me forever to dry out. Thick down, you know?"

He shrugged. "Just asking."

A weird reaction, but...

"Anyway, we should get going." Revali decided, turning around and walking a little farther down the path. "Wouldn't want to get too behind; we still have a long way to go before dark."

Link waved him off. "We still have time. Besides, everyone's having so much fun, right?"

He rolled his eyes. "Whatever. I'll go scouting ahead."

"You know, you've been doing an awful lot of that lately." Urbosa raised an eyebrow, walking towards the land again. "You'd think that this terrain would be quite familiar by now."

Revali puffed up again. "It is!"

"Then why scout?"

"I'm not-"

Urbosa cut him off. "Unless there's something you're trying to avoid here."

Link could feel himself blushing bright red. The other champions only saw the part at the bar, when Revali thought the floor was lava, panicked about Link's safety, vomited, and promptly passed out. They didn't see carrying him back, drawing a bath, having to strip off Revali's clothes-

It really was distracting to look at him now, knowing what all is underneath. He kept it professional when he was cleaning off the vomit, but that didn't mean he didn't remember that body.

"I'm not trying to avoid anything." Revali lied, rolling his eyes. "I just... Don't like any of you."

As beautiful as he was though, this was really starting to get annoying.

"UhHuh." Urbosa did not look convinced. "Because last I checked-"

"Okay!" Revali interrupted, feathers all puffed out. "Alright fine, I won't go, I'll stay right here."

"Come on in, the water's fine." Mipha gestured him over, but he shook his head.

"I'll be just fine staying dry, thank you."

***

(Revali)

Of all the locations they had to visit on this damned trip, Zora's Domain was the one he was dreading the most. 

Not Rito Village, as bad as his hometown was. Well, it wasn't bad, just... Full of history. A lot of it that he would rather not remember, especially not around the champions. He couldn't show any form of weakness around them; they're Hyrule's best warriors. He had to prove that he was worthy of being one of them.

Not Gerudo Town, though that trip had certainly ended poorly. The heat was bad, but at least it wasn't humid. The food was good, even if they didn't commonly carry poultry. And the city was beautiful. Even with having to dress the part.

Goron City would suck. He knew it, and so did everyone else. Going in a trip to Goron City meant drinking lots of fireproof elixirs, struggling to keep Mipha from drying out, and enjoying the wonderful local cuisine of... Rocks. Yeah, that would be a lot of fun - not.

But Zora's Domain? That's what he was really afraid of, and only for one reason: water. He had gotten used to the water below Rito Village, but this? The whole city was built on water. It was built to look like water. The whole area surrounding it was practically nothing but water. Being surrounded like that was too much like-

No. Nope. Not thinking about that right now. Right now he was staying dry, trying to get as much sun as he could in this dismal weather, and ignoring most of the others having a good time in one of the small pools they had stopped at along the way.  
His only break was Daruk. It was no secret that the big guy couldn't swim, and furthermore that he was afraid of water. Or, at least, that became apparent very quickly when they were near Rito Village. The smaller bridges wouldn't have supported him anyway, but falling down into the water was a big fear of his that resurfaced in a big way.

And no one expected him, teasing the one who's afraid of water, to be afraid of water... Right?

But Urbosa knew about his crush on Link, which was definitely more dangerous. Being afraid of water would just dash his carefully constructed image. Being in love with Link? That would destroy him completely.  
No matter how hard he tried, though, he couldn't shake those feelings. There he was, sitting there, his feet in the water...

Even though the sunlight was spotty at best, it seemed to be permanently shining on his perfect golden hair. There was something in the way his bangs fell over his eyes, the slow swish of his feet in the water...  
Revali had to force his eyes away, before someone caught him staring. Things were bad enough already, he didn't need to draw unnecessary attention to himself.

"It is getting late." Mipha pointed out, glancing up at the sky. "And if I'm right, I believe it will start raining here soon."

"We should get the tents up." Urbosa agreed, pulling herself up out of the water and wrapping her skirt back around her waist. "Revali, come with me to set them up? Link, if you could go catch something for dinner that would be much appreciated. Mipha, Daruk, it's your turn to gather firewood, correct?"

Daruk nodded. "Yup. Let's go, Princess."

A sinking feeling landed itself in Revali's gut. There had to be a reason-

"You have to tell him eventually." Urbosa said, not wasting any time as soon as they were alone. "It'll do no good just to stare from across the room."

I already told him, he thought bitterly to himself. "I don't know what you're talking about."

She raised an eyebrow. "Sure you don't."

"I'm being serious! I have no idea." Revali could feel his feathers bristling as he started to unpack the tents. "You're just... Imagining things."

"You didn't see yourself drunk in the bar."

He winced. "Link told me."

"Did he?" Urbosa grabbed the other end of a tent, rolling it out fully. "Interesting. How much?"

Every feather on Revali's body was puffed up. "Some of the things I said to him... That I vomited all over myself."

"You did do that." She suppressed a laugh, tying off one of the ends. "It sure was something."

"I- ugh. Fine, whatever."

"What? You wanted him to think better of you than that?"

Revali bristled again. "No, it's - fine. I like him. And I'm big enough to admit that."

"Good, than admit it to him."

"No! Are you crazy!?" He jumped backwards a little bit, eyes wide, hands clenching the tent. "He. Doesn't. Like. Me."

"No one likes you, Revali." Urbosa pointed out. "Especially since you keep talking about how much you hate all of us."

He winced. "Yeah..."

"So? He probably doesn't hate you any more than the rest of us do."

Ouch. That sent Revali reeling, his heart felling heavy and hollow in his chest. All of his life... Yeah, he wasn't kind to them. At all. But that didn't mean they should...

Revali swallowed. "You... Hate me?"

Urbosa waved that off. "Of course not. You're like... A strange nephew."

"Nephew?"

"The male child of a sibling?"

"No, I know what a nephew is, I meant-" He swallowed again, this time fighting back a smile. "Whatever, I don't really hate you either."

"Wow, progress."

Revali rolled his eyes. "Shut up."

***

(Link)

By the time Link had caught what he determined to be an acceptable amount of wild game and gathered several hearty radishes, the sun was getting very low over the horizon. Sunsets near Zora's Domain were just as good as he remembered: blues and teals meeting pinks and oranges and purples, all blending into one beautiful skyline. As mesmerizing as it was, though, it meant that it was his time to head back.

Which meant facing Revali.

And now that he had thought about him, all of the calm of the woods was gone. The change was night and day: suddenly the bow in his hands reminded him of Revali's steady guiding hands, teaching him how to fire quickly and more effectively. The sunset was the lantern light colors reflecting off his feathers as they stumbled back to their inn in Gerudo Town. The rustling of leaves was the ruffling of feathers...

With a deep sigh, Link tried to force those thoughts out of his head, to calm his pounding heart. Hefting his game bag over his shoulder, he started on his way back to camp. The smell of woodsmoke greeted him before long. Revali and Daruk were poking at the fire, while Urbosa finished setting up the tents and Mipha... Actually, he wasn't sure where Mipha was. Probably in the water, taking a break.

"Hey, there's food!" Daruk swatted Revali's hand away as he adjusted the blazing campfire with his bare hands. "Well, for you all."

"Show off." Revali grumbled, tossing away the stick he was using on the fire. "What did you catch, anyway?"

"A deer, and a couple fish." Link answered simply, slinging off his bag. "Anyone want to help me clean them?"

For his enthusiasm that there was food, Revali suddenly lost all interest. Typical. Then again, if he touched a food item it was like it was ruined forever. Something about Revali in that way was just bad luck.

But that didn't stop Link, of course. Of course.

He and Urbosa ended up cleaning the meat, getting everything prepared for cooking. That's when Mipha showed back up - she had been in the water - to cook it. She didn't do anything fancy, since it was dark by the time everything was gutted and skinned, but dinner was still delicious. They ate in relative silence, especially for their group. It was almost too quiet, with only the occasional owl, the rustling of the trees, a little slurp of soup once in a while, and the ever present sound of rocks being crushed by Daruk's teeth.

It was a sight to behold, that was for certain, just... Not a good one.

"It's your turn to wash the dishes, Revali." Mipha reminded, stacking up their bowls. "The little pond should be fine."

Revali opened his beak as if to say something, then snapped of shut again. "Fine. Daruk, want to keep me company?"

"Nope. I'm, uh, good back here."

"Come on, big guy." He waggled his eyebrows. "A little water's not nearly that bad. You won't drown or anything."

"Cut it out." Link signed, rolling his eyes.

Yeah, he was beautiful, but most of the time? Ugh. 

"What? We all have to conquer our fears, don't we?"

"Not by teasing him about it."

"I'm not-"

"You are."

Both of them were standing up now, right beside the fire, Link staring up at Revali staring right back at him. The beating in Link's heart didn't know whether he wanted to slap him or kiss him or just shove him into the remnants of the campfire, but it made him want to do something reckless. Something wild.

Maybe it wasn't Revali he was in love with, a desperate part of his mind tried to say. Maybe he was just in love with that feeling.

But it was that feeling, the pounding of his heart when he caught sight of him, the way his whole body froze looking into those perfect green eyes. He could never actually hurt Revali; he knew that. But he did want to slam him up against a wall, of a tree, or... Something.

Revali rolled those perfect eyes, and heat flared in Link's face once more. In a moment of decision, he grabbed Revali, picked him up, and started marching over to the water.

Nope, it definitely wasn't just the feeling he loved, because he was painfully aware of every place Revali's body came into contact with his own. Damn it.

"Put me down you- this is- Link you mother- get me away from the water you awful excuse for- Link!" Revali practically screamed as he struggled to get out of Link's grasp. "I hate you! This is- absolutely- put me down!"

Link finally did put him down, but with his feet in the water. Immediately, Revali was jumping back up, away from the water... And back into Link's arms. Then he was struggling to get away from there again, and-

"Shh, calm down." Link signed to Revali, back on dry land. "You okay?"

"That was just cruel and unusual!" He spat, shaking off his feet. "What the hell, Link!?"

"What, afraid of water?"

"No, I-"

"Prove it." Link smirked, crossing his arms for a moment and watching Revali squirm. "If you're not afraid of water at all."

"I am not-" He swallowed. "Afraid of... Water."

"Really?"

"Yes, really!" Revali's feathers all puffed out. "I don't know why-"

Link started wading out into the water. "Then come on. Prove it."

***

(Revali)

Link was taunting him, trying to convince him to wander into the water. It was maddening, the little smirk on his face, the smug posture. Link knew full well he couldn't go into the water. He knew. 

How did he know?

Revali glanced back at their campsite, but everyone else was still there. No one was listening.

"How did you know that?" He hissed, wrapping his arms around himself. "There's no way-"

"Lucky guess." Link shrugged. "So you are afraid?"

"No, I'm not-" Revali took a deep breath. "Yes. I'm afraid of water."

"Why?"

It was like time slowed down as Link approached, the moonlight catching on the ripples in the water, swirling around him like magic. It was painful, the pounding of his heart and the embarrassment ruffling his feathers both. And the memories resurfacing...

"That's none of your business." He declared, crossing his arms tighter. "Now, I need to go get the dishes, so I can wash them."

"You know, Revali... You can trust us."

Link was there, right in front of him, his hands moving gently, his face no longer that smug smile. He wanted to believe that, he wanted to tell him that he wasn't lying when he drunkenly confessed his love, but...

"I'm fine, Link. I just need to take care of the dishes."

With that he walked away, regret hanging heavily in his heart.

***

(Link)

The next morning they were on the road again. Daruk was in good spirits, at least, chatting away with Mipha about Zora's Domain. Urbosa hummed softly to herself as she walked, and Revali...

Well, he was silent. No more teasing Daruk, sure, but nothing else either.

What happened to make him so afraid of water? Why did he keep closing himself off?

And why couldn't Link get the thoughts of him out of his head?

***

That night, they were in Zora's Domain for real. They arrived late, barely getting there before the innkeeper decided to close for the night, getting a couple rooms. One for Urbosa, and one for Link and Revali.

Of course. Because for some reason, that's how it always worked.

Mipha was obviously staying in her own room, with her family. It would make no sense for her to stay here; besides, there were only two rooms available, and both of them only single beds.

Which meant that Link had to share a bed with Revali. 

How was he going to keep it together? Sure, he had slept very close to Revali before. Hell, he bathed him back in Gerudo Town. But there was something about sleeping right next to each other that-

"Why does it seem like we're always stuck together?" Revali groaned, tossing his pack down by the bed. "This is irritating beyond belief."

"Tell me about it." Link pretended to be just as annoyed, setting down his own bag more carefully. "But Daruk doesn't sleep in beds, and Mipha has a bedroom here..."

"I know that, I just don't like it." 

"Yeah."

That stung. Link tried to pretend it didn't, but... All of the hot to cold, going from saying that he loved him from complaining about sharing a room together, and, well...

"The one bed isn't ideal." Link stated simply before starting to strip off his belts.

Revali snorted. "No shit. I can see if I can set up my hammock."

"In here?" He raised an eyebrow. "I don't think you'll be able to find somewhere to hang it up."

"Well, I'm going to try, at the very least."

Link just shrugged at that, and kept getting himself ready for bed. At least he didn't need to think about how he'd sleep beside Revali, anymore.

***

Link was almost asleep when the bed moved beside him.

Immediately he was alert, reaching for his sword. What was that? There was something in his room, but it was too dark to-

"Link! Put that sword down!" Revali hissed at him from the dark. "It's just me."

Link relaxed down, re-sheathing his sword and putting it back by the bed. Then, deciding it would probably be better in the event of an attack anyway, he switched on the dim lamp beside the bed.

Sure enough, it was just Revali settling in under the covers. No one sneaking in and trying to kill him, nothing dangerous. All these high stakes really did have him paranoid.

"Sorry." Link signed, slipping back in under the blankets. "You startled me."

"I didn't notice." The sarcasm was thick in his voice. "I couldn't get the hammock to set up."

"Told you."

Revali elbowed him. "Shut up, Link."

Link tried to settle in, to relax, but the adrenaline wouldn't quit. He was still wide awake, Revali lying beside him, hyper aware of every movement, every sound, every shift of the light blue light on Revali's face. His chest was rising and falling like that, his shoulders bare...

"You can't sleep either, can you?" Revali asked in a soft voice, eyes barely peeking open. 

"Nope."

He sat up a little bit more, the blanket falling into his lap. "Well, is there any use trying, then?"

"Well, we'll be here for a couple more days..." Link pointed out.

"Yes, in this same situation. So we probably should, but..."

"But neither of us are used to sleeping with other people?"

"No, it's not - well, that's true, but it's not just that..." Revali trailed off, messing with the ends of his hair. "It's just strange."

Link shrugged. "We could just... Try to sleep."

"Been there, done that." He rolled his eyes. "So..."

"I mean, we could just cuddle."

Immediately, Revali's feathers all puffed up. "We- I mean- I can't-"

He shrugged again. "It's not a big deal, I don't mind. I mean, if you don't want to..."

"No, I... I don't mind." Revali managed, scooting back down in the bed. "Whatever, might as well try it."

Link nodded, flicked off the light, and wriggled down to join him. Just having his body this close... Why did he suggest this? There was no way he was going to sleep now, curled up close like this...

But with his head against Revali's chest, listening to the beating of his heart, he felt surprisingly calm. Something just felt right.

"With the water..." Revali whispered, letting out a little sigh. "I almost drowned, as a kid. It's a longer story than that, but... I almost died. I was only saved because someone decided they couldn't walk away with that on their conscience."

Link wanted to sign that he was sorry, but in the dark he knew that he couldn't see.

"Just needed to get that off my chest." He added, then fell silent.

Not long after he drifted off to sleep, and Link followed after listening to his beating heart and calm breath, knowing they'd be right back to the same old thing tomorrow.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! You can find me on Tumblr at Supertinydom or Supertinywords! 
> 
> Comments are love <3


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